At least two people died yesterday Tuesday in northern California due to a strong earthquake off the US coast, which also caused collapses, subsidence and cut off power to tens of thousands of households.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck overnight, centered about 40 kilometers southwest of Eureka, a city and port in Humboldt County, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
In the area, which is about a four-hour drive from San Francisco, “two people have died due to medical emergencies during and/or immediately after the earthquake,” county officials said in a news release. without getting more specific.
Eleven other people were injured, according to the same source.
The quake also caused major property damage — two buildings collapsed — and more than 74,000 homes and businesses were without power as of midday yesterday, according to specialist website PowerOutage.
“Damage assessment is ongoing,” however, it has already been determined that there was “extensive damage,” especially to gas and water lines in the area, according to the county sheriff’s office.
The earthquake caused cracks in a road leading to the small community of Fernbridge, captured photos uploaded to Twitter by Dania Romero, a reporter for the local TV station KAEF.
Photos and videos uploaded to social media sites show windows of houses shattered, objects overturned, a supermarket aisle with products falling from shelves…
Rock falls and small collapses occurred along a road connecting Humboldt County to central California.
Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 4.5.
This particular state in the American West is often hit by earthquakes. According to seismologists, it is practically certain that in the next 30 years it will be hit by a very strong earthquake, capable of causing great destruction. Cynthia Pridmore, a USGS expert, points out that in the last century there have been about 40 earthquakes whose strength ranged between 6 and 7 degrees.
In 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Northridge, northwest of Los Angeles, killed at least 60 people and caused $10 billion in damage.
In 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in San Francisco killed 67 people.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
